If accurate, this is doubly good news:

A tribal chief in the turbulent city of Fallujah led a raid that freed four Jordanian hostages kidnapped a week ago, the chief said Wednesday, while a militant group promised to free two Turkish truck drivers whose company agreed to pull out from Iraq.

A brother of one of the four Jordanian hostages, Mohammed abu Jaafar, said that he'd spoken by telephone with his brother Ahmad, who told him: "Now I am free. I was in the hands of evil people. Now I am in the hands of good people."

Keeping Omar's cautionary in mind, there's a lot of mischief to be had as terrorism blends and perhaps devolves into petty organized crime. If past experience is any guide, the words of any man of esteem in Fallujah — a long-troubled city — should be taken with skepticism. But if true, the rescue is another victory for Iraqi democrats.